Nokia Lumia 630 Review

Introduction

The Nokia Lumia 630 is an affordable and colorful Windows Phone 8.1 handset, one of the first devices running on Microsoft’s operating system to come in both a single and a dual-SIM variants.

Nokia struck it big with the extremely affordable Lumia 520, and while the Lumia 630 is not as cheap, it is still in a class of devices that offer a lot of bang for the buck. With a vivid, 4.5-inch display and a quad-core Snapdragon 400 system chip under the hood, the Lumia 630 promises to be able to showcase the best of the newest Windows Phone 8.1. Nokia throws in its own improvements in a set of exclusive apps part of the Nokia Cyan package.

Is that enough to distract the world from a global flood of Android devices, and shift the topic towards Nokia and Windows Phone? Let’s find out.

Design

The colorful design and wrap-around cover make this an unmistakably Nokia phone, however, the cheap plastic design spoils the otherwise good impressions.

The Lumia 630 looks and feels like a typical Nokia phone from the moment you first see it. First and foremost because of its bold and bright colors (you have 5 color options - black, white, yellow, green and orange), but also because of the specific way the plastic shell encircles the whole frame of the phone. This plastic cover, however, is made of matte plastic that feels decidedly cheap, even slightly jagged, and the overall impression is of a toy-like, disposable gadget. While this cheap choice of materials is disappointing, it does not mean that it has any practical consequences - the handset does not suffer from any build quality issues, it’s actually well put together.

In terms of pure size, the 4.5-inch Lumia 630 is definitely conveniently compact and well-suited for single-handed use. It’s 0.36-inch (9.2mm) thick, and even though this is above the average, it does not feel too chubby, because of its otherwise compact size. It is also on the light side, tipping the scales at 4.73 oz (134g).

The most notable change in the Lumia 630 comes as a result of it adopting Windows Phone 8.1. Yes, the signature physical Windows Phone navigation buttons below the display are nowhere to be seen. Instead, the handset is the first one we see to use on-screen buttons (a la Android). It’s also lost the physical camera shutter key, and now the only buttons are the lock key and volume rocker on the right side. Both are plasticky, but also very clicky and easy to press, with nice travel.

Dimensions

Weight

Display

The 4.5-inch display is not among the sharpest, but its punchy colors and good viewing angles are above what you’d expect of an affordable device.

The 4.5-inch IPS LCD display of the Nokia Lumia 630 comes with a middling resolution of 480 x 854 pixels (FWVGA). This results in a pixel density of 218ppi, not the best around, even if we look at the affordable price class of the Lumia 630 alone. While this is definitely not among the sharpest displays out there, and pixelization is noticeable, especially when you start looking at text, its colors are pleasingly punchy.

With great contrast and deep blacks, the 4.5” Lumia 630 screen actually looks better than the average phone in this class. In addition, it’s got great viewing angles, and colors don’t fade out even if you look at the phone from an angle.

Speaking from the point of view of the color purist, however, we should note that colors are in fact clearly oversaturated, and while they do look punchy, they are not perfectly accurate. The white point is just slightly colder (blueish) than we’d like, but still not way off.

The screen also sports Nokia’s ClearBlack anti-reflection filter that improves outdoor visibility and make the phone easier to use under the bright sun. In fact, the Lumia 630 does surprisingly well outdoors, even better than some more expensive phones, and that’s a huge plus when summer is right around the corner.

Finally, we should note that the Lumia 630 - disappointingly - lacks an ambient light sensor, so you’d need to manually change brightness to the adjust to ambient light.

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x: CIE31' and 'y: CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.

The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance (balance between red, green and blue) across different levels of grey (from dark to bright). The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones, the better.

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 4:23 AM 4

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

The problem is that it's not so budget level... Nokia set a price which is too high for a phone with so many limitations (512MB of ram, no flash, no front camera, no ambient light sensor and all the other things listed in the CONS section of the review).
It has almost the same price of the Moto G, yet the Moto G is in another league... it has an HD screen, more ram, it's faster (look at the tests) and it's a full-featured smartphone.
The 630 sits between the Moto E and the Moto G, but its price is close to the latter.

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 5:22 AM 1

Posts: 182; Member since: Oct 30, 2013

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 6:21 AM 2

Posts: 19; Member since: May 31, 2014

Ok, I bet you want the Lumia 930 to come with 512 MB of RAM too right? Yes I admit Windows Phone is fluid even with 512 MB of RAM, and Android isn't (but it is far more capable). The point is, you are paying a lot for 512MB of RAM. That's like saying just because WP always runs smooth, L930 should come with the least capable hardware possible and demand a high price.
WP should use its fluidity as an advantage and not as an excuse. Yes, implement 512 MB of RAM is fluid, but cut the price down by at least $50 USD while you are at it.

Posts: 182; Member since: Oct 30, 2013

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 7:55 PM 0

Posts: 19; Member since: May 31, 2014

No it isn't. It's bordering $200. You know what I can get with $200? On the android side, Moto G and Xiaomi 2S and Hongmi Note. On the WP side, I can get the HTC 8X with a 720P screen and slimmer profile. If I just add 50 bucks I can get a L920.
Stop making excuses for this thing they call a "budget" phone.

posted on Jun 06, 2014, 7:44 AM 0

Posts: 1693; Member since: Aug 18, 2013

I'd say that good device for price. However, eventhough Moto G is slightly more expensive in some regions, I'd still have it all day. It has much better screen, build quality is very good and solid, it has customizable back plates, better OS, as PA said, slightly better camera with flash. But you can't go seriously wrong with either.

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 4:28 AM 0

Posts: 638; Member since: Aug 19, 2013

well dual sim version is $170 in my country whereas Moto G is around $220....that makes both of them great devices for their price range....i wonder why it is expensive in US
Plus nokia should have named that phone Lumia 530,it is nowhere near 6xx series specs....

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 5:02 AM 2

Posts: 281; Member since: Jun 07, 2012

that's weird, Gsmarena has named the 630 as one of the best 5mpx shooters and PA says it's middling ????!! PA camera reviews have always been questionable (iphones taking the lead sometimes against the likes of Sony Xperia flagships). so I would go for Gsmarena words.http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_630-review-1080p8.php
Also, most competitors phones mentioned r totally wrong to be placed here or priced wrong. The moto G for example costs 150 pounds in the UK while the 630 price is 90-110 pounds, that's a big difference specially when u know that moto G doesn't have an Sd slot while the 630 does. The Galaxy Grand is of a totally different category and costs double the price of the 630, I don't understand how it's mentioned here. The moto E ,which is worse than the 630, costs the same, and PA forgets to mention that 630 has a S400 processor while the moto E has S200 processor which is alot worse.
All in all, PA fails miserably in reviews, better stick to news. For readers, Gsmarena review for this phone is thorough, fair and not out of reality as this one is, so consider it more than this review when buying ( this goes for all Gsmarena reviews actually).http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_630-review-1080.php

Posts: 91; Member since: May 06, 2014

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 5:46 AM 1

Posts: 433; Member since: Feb 11, 2014

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 8:16 AM 1

Posts: 433; Member since: Dec 04, 2012

Exactly! most reviews of the 630 mentions it has a great camera, one saying its camera is so good that you would think its from a phone that's twice as much. trustedreviews says "But image quality is a fair bit better than, say the Motorola Moto G and Moto E. You can create some nice-looking photos, if not ones you can successfully crop into."
So when it comes to camera's never and I mean NEVER thrust PA! They have no idea to use cameras!

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 8:23 AM 2

Posts: 7363; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

Then there are others that can take the moto g camera and make it come out looking so much better then the 630. Also the moto g has a fast focus camera. The 630 does not. In fact the moto g camera can be used to take slow motion videos. Oh and it has a camera flash. All of which the 630 does not have.
In truth the 630 and the moto g should not be compared. The moto g is superior to any lumia 5xx, 6xx, 7xxx devices. The moto e is comparable to the lumia 630.

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 10:17 AM 0

Posts: 10; Member since: Nov 25, 2012

Are you kidding me? I have a Lumia 720 wich sports PureView lens and it is by far better than Moto G on the camera level. Besides Moto G is really hard to use outside, unusable under direct sunlight. You can use Lumia 630 outside with no problems at all and even though it lacks a flash it manages to take pretty good images. I am not saying 630 is superior but here in Argentina Moto G is not as cheap as everyone thinks ( 2600 argentinian pesos in a two year contract or almost usd $305) while Lumia 630 will cost much less (aproximately 1600 argentinian pesos - usd $188 in a two year contract as well).
So, yes. Lumia 630 is not at the same price point as Moto G. Actually, Moto G is quite expensive costing as much as Nexus 4 in Argentina.

posted on Jul 15, 2014, 10:27 PM 0

Posts: 25; Member since: Nov 08, 2013

posted on Jun 04, 2014, 11:50 AM 4

Posts: 1; Member since: Jun 17, 2014

Price varies per market and in Thailand, I bought this phone for US$150, no contract. Regardless of the price tho, I feel this phone is a major surprise. It is fast, offers tons of great features and actually beats all smartphones in some areas (it set a World Guinness Record for fastest keyboard). But over all, the combination of its features is excellent. The PROs:
- wonderful keyboard with unique MS swipe technology
- Gorilla 3 screen wrapped in pleasant plastic
- fast performance, good battery life
- expandable memory up to 128GB
- replaceable battery
- lifetime offline HERE maps - better then Google, Apple or Blackberry maps
- good camera with realistic colored and good exposed shots
- two SIMs
- all that for US$150 (!)
The CONs:
- lack of flash (is a minor inconvenience)
- no headphones in the box
- disabled time feature on locked screen that most Lumias have
I am very happy with this phone.

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